An avid reader and aspiring author, Ciara (KEER-ah) lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest where she can be found drooling over books, pushing books on her friends, and proclaiming how wonderful Seattle is, if you are a slug. At the University of Pennsylvania, she was swept off her feet by her real life Prince Charming. She discovered romance novels shortly before starting graduate school in Urban Planning. Her text books didn’t stand a chance. It was quickly apparent that she’d rather write about daring sword fights than property easements, and, with the encouragement of Prince Charming, she decided to follow her bliss.

As a native Seattleite, Ciara has always been fascinated by the myths, legends, and art work of the Pacific Northwest. Though she doesn’t drink coffee and owns a Mac, she has been known to wear socks with her Birkenstocks and will happily tell you that umbrellas are for wimps and tourists. She knows forty ways to say, “It’s raining.”

When not reading or writing, you can find her traveling with her globe-trotting husband, hiking, rock climbing, knitting, sewing, throwing ceramic teapots, and learning to play the Irish tin whistle. You can contact her at ciara (at) ciarastewart (dot) com and can find her blogging occasionally on Desert Island Keepers with a cadre of wonderful and witty avid romance readers.

Professional Organizations:

Romance Writers of America (PRO), Greater Seattle RWA Chapter, Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal RWA Chapter and Pacific Northwest Writers Association.

Awards:

• Hearts of Darkness, a 97,000 word, apocalyptic paranormal romance set in a grisly Seattle, won First Place in the 2009 Golden Gateway, 2010 Great Expectations, and 2010 Marlene contests, and honorable mention in the 2010 Daphne du Maurier Awards. It is currently a finalist in the 2010 Orange Rose, 2010 Maggie, and 2010 PYHIAB contests.
  
• The Traveler’s Guide to Falling in Love, a time-travel Regency romance set in London of approximately 85,000 words, was a finalist in the 2008 Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest.